

SPARKS
ELECTRICAL NEWS
AUGUST 2017
F
luke, represented locally by Comtest,
has Fluke 1732 and 1734 three-phase
energy loggers that are designed to
identify sources of electrical energy waste.
Easy to set up and use, and capture key
measurements – voltage, current, power,
power factor, and other variables like tem-
perature – the 1732/1734 enable users to
understand energy usage and correlate it to
activities. The loggers are also Fluke Con-
nect® compatible. Data can be viewed from
anywhere via the Fluke Connect mobile app,
potentially reducing the number of times a
technician must open a panel while wearing
full protective equipment.
With the Fluke 1732 and 1734, users can:
• Easily discover wasted energy to reduce
energy bills.
• Perform energy studies over a range of
electrical power and energy parameters.
• Perform simple current-only load studies.
• Use the 1734 to perform advanced energy
and load studies with connected data
from Fluke Connect modules.
“Energy use in industrial plants is one of
the most important areas where costs can
be reduced, yet most facility managers are
unaware of how their energy is consumed,”
says Paul de la Port, president, Fluke Indus-
trial Group. “The Fluke 1732 and 1734 energy
loggers deliver a complete picture that iden-
tifies opportunities for savings and provides
actionable data to reduce energy costs to
improve the bottom line.”
The Fluke energy loggers:
• Measure all three phase conductors: with
included three flexible current probes.
• Provide comprehensive logging: more
than 20 separate logging sessions can
be stored on the instruments and all
measured values are automatically logged
to retain measurement trends.
• Can be powered by the measurement
circuit: eliminating the need to find a power
outlet and run power cord extensions.
• Can be set up completely in the field
through the front panel with no need to
return to the workshop for download and
setup or to take a computer to the electrical
panel as data can be downloaded directly
to USB memory stick or via local Wi-Fi.
The quick, guided, graphical setup ensures
that the right data is captured every time,
and the intelligent verification function
indicates correct connections have been
made, reducing user uncertainty.
The 1732 and 1734 also include the energy
analyse plus application software that
delivers more advanced analysis capabilities
to better correlate data and make better
decisions. The loggers are rated 600 V CAT
IV/1000 V CAT III for safe use at the service
entrance, and downstream.
Enquiries: +27 (0)10 595 1821
17
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
FLUKE ELECTRICAL LOGGERS
REDUCE FACILITIES’
ENERGY COSTS
ENERGY MONITORING,
OPTIMISATION AND MANAGEMENT VALUE-ADD
The Fluke 1732 and 1734 three-phase energy
loggers are designed to more easily identify
sources of electrical energy waste.
A
s a source of energy, liquid petroleum gas
(LPG) is hard to beat. Easy to use, efficient,
cost-competitive and environmentally-friend-
ly – its properties play an active role in contributing
towards a gas-powered economy.
From an LPG supplier perspective, the business is
evolving in a dynamic and exciting manner. “In the
past, it was enough to ensure timeous and efficient
supply of LPG to customers in the domestic, commer-
cial and industrial sectors,” says Fred Royer, managing
director of Easigas.
“However, business trends and requirements have
evolved. If you are selling LPG energy, it is now es-
sential to have a thorough understanding of custom-
ers’ requirements, and also how the energy you supply
them will be utilised, or the application thereof. This
is especially important in economically demanding
times where energy – particularly if its usage is not
correctly optimised and managed – can be one of the
greatest industrial or manufacturing input costs,” says
Royer.
In line with the above trends, Easigas’s commercial
technical manager, Dave De Wit – who has more than
three decades’ experience and understanding of gas-
fired plant and equipment – will be leading an inno-
vative value-adding initiative to Easigas’s customers
in the commercial and industrial sectors. In terms of
specifics, this additional service to customers is a form
of diversification.
While the company will remain a primary LPG sup-
plier, it is diversifying into energy optimisation and
management via its expanded service and value-add
proposition.
“This will take the form of a multi-faceted energy
monitoring and management service offering; which
will also offer assistance to our commercial and in-
dustrial customers who need to be aligned with exist-
ing gas-related legislation,” De Wit explains.
Easigas’s new service will assist in the optimisation
of customers’ combustion systems and burner man-
agement. When the time comes to alter plant or in-
stall new gas systems, Easigas will offer its customers
professional advice on the gas equipment selection
and installation thereof.
A component of the energy monitoring and man-
agement service would be assisting companies with
statutory compliance.
“The enforcement of statutory compliance dead-
lines, as defined in the Pressure Equipment Regula-
tions (PER), is to be revised owing to the prohibitive
costs of upgrades required to ensure compliance,”
says De Wit.
The Department of Labour will require that com-
panies draw up a risk profile, and then schedule
measures to be taken to ensure compliance in a se-
ries of manageable and affordable steps.
Regarding the energy monitoring component of
the service – and the need for customers to be le-
gally compliant – Easigas could offer a scheduled
monitoring capability, regardless of whether or not it
is linked to a statutory requirement. “If for example,
a burner nozzle or register should become inefficient
(and ‘gas wasting’), by scheduled monitoring, we will
detect this condition early and advise the customer
accordingly,” says De Wit.
Easigas will also be able to assist customers with
burner equipment selection, optimisation, manage-
ment and compliance. “With our continuous on-site
monitoring frequency, customers would also comply
more easily with emissions legislation,” he says.
Should a customer consider installing or altering
its combustion systems, Easigas will be able to sup-
ply projected gas consumption metrics; as well as
burner installation and management advice.
“We would consult on best-fit burner practice and
extend this into burner system installation and project
management if required. Considering the current cost
of consulting engineering, the cost-savings our ser-
vice will offer could be substantial,” De Wit points out.
A further incentive for Easigas’s commercial and
industrial customers to grasp this opportunity lies in
South Africa’s changing environmental legislation,
which will increasingly dictate that industries engage
in environmentally-responsible energy utilisation.
He adds that similar services could in future
be extended to Easigas’s
substantial domestic LPG
market.
“With this innovation, Easi-
gas is at the forefront of the
LPG supply sector: not only
in responding to its commer-
cial and industrial custom-
ers’ requirements for greater
flexibility and accessibility
to energy monitoring, opti-
misation and management;
but also to the imperatives
of the Industry 4.0 trend of
increasingly automated and
integrated manufacturing.
Advanced telemetry sys-
tems that will be used in the
‘smart’ factory of tomorrow
are also compatible with
the LPG industry. Their appli-
cations range from LPG tank
level monitoring, automatic
meter readings and burner
fuel consumption metering,
to monitoring combustion
efficiency. “With these sys-
tems in place, there is added
potential for greater produc-
tivity horizons,” says De Wit.
“The drive of the Industry
4.0 global initiative is to-
wards increased efficiency and productivity. With our
energy monitoring and management value-added
service offering, we are able to assist our custom-
ers in improving their productivity, profitability and
sustainability through optimal energy usage,” he
concludes.
T
he ECO Solar light
is designed in South
Africa and distributed
by AutObarn SA. One solar
charge gives eight to nine
hours of light, once charged,
and it can be left connected
while in use.
The solar panel takes
six to eight hours to charge
fully. The white lamp has two
brightness settings, while additional features include the solar panel,
which can charge smaller cell phones depending on battery require-
ments, it has a 1000-cycle life, and the battery is 1800 mAh Lithium
ion unit with 1000 to 1200 cycles.
On the minimum brightness setting, users get eight to nine hours
of light; on the super bright setting it’s five to six hours. The pull switch
globe can be hung anywhere.
“The unit very reasonably priced at R300,” says Terry Brand MD
of AutObarn SA. “We have tested the units at the company, in the
workshops, and in our homes without a single failure. Ideally home
owners should invest in a few mobile units that will give them light in
all important rooms. To date, we have had many orders from all over
South Africa. Most people do not understand just how good these
solar units are and how well they work; once they do, they are back for
more,” says Brand.
Enquiries: +27 (0)11 477 3612
RECHARGEABLE
SOLAR
POWERED LIGHT